


Flightless

by Sinsanity



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Brutality, Drowning, Eventual Fluff, Fight or Flight, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I hate tagging, Injured Character, Lies, Minor Blood and Gore, Sorry Not Sorry, Swearing, Torture, Violence, Wingfic, nonbinary characters - Freeform, winged sides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-05-07 03:51:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14662722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinsanity/pseuds/Sinsanity
Summary: Virgil was the living embodiment of fight or flight. Not just because he had wings either.But...What happens when he becomes flightless?





	1. Clipped Wings

**Author's Note:**

> I really should not be starting another story.  
> Am I going to listen to my brain?  
> Never.

_“NO! Please!” He cried out. However, his desperate pleas were ignored in favor of strapping his limbs down. His body spread out along the table, a tray of tools sitting near him._

_“Please! I-” SLAP!_

_His words were cut off by one of the men slapping him, making him cry out in pain. His cheek stung, and he struggled in the binds that tied him down, but that didn’t deter him. He needed to get free!_

_Deceit, the leader of the assholes that captured him, walked up to him, a smirk on his face as he raised an eyebrow in amusement. The sick fuck got enjoyment out of this!_

_Virgil let out an animalistic growl as Deceit raised a hand to touch him. A look of surprise crossed the man’s face before he lowered his hand and stroked Virgil’s right wing. The boy tried to flinch backward at the touch and attempted to retract his wing, only to cry out at the tugging sensation caused by the movement._

_“You’re so beautiful…” The man’s words were filled with awe as he ran his hands over Virgil’s wing. It filled the boy with disgust as he nearly puked at the feeling of the man’s hand on his appendage. He just wanted to be free again._

_After what felt like hours, Deceit had finally retracted his hand and walked away from Virgil’s form. Said boy felt his body relax slightly. His body felt violated just by being in sight of the douchebag._

_That moment of peace did not last long, however, as the shuffling of tools sounded from across the room. Glancing over at the tray, his eyes widened as he saw Deceit staring at a pair of what looked like hedge shears. Basically, large scissors._

_His fear rose as he watched the other man make his way back over to Virgil. It took only a moment before Virgil’s struggling increased to full power. He knew what Deceit had planned to do, and there was no way he was going to allow his wings to be clipped!_

_Deceit’s grin widened with a sick sense of amusement as he watched Virgil flail beneath him. This didn’t deter the avian boy though._

_His moment of struggling was soon cut off as hands forced his wing to completely outstretch, three different pairs of hands on his wing as he squirmed uncomfortably._

_No! He needed to get out of here, they couldn’t do this. Virgil watched in horror as Deceit lowered the trimmers to his wing. Gathering strength in his right wing, he forced it out of their grips and successfully hit the snake-like man in the face with his feathers._

_The man stumbled back slightly before turning a glare to Virgil. “That was… expected.” He spoke in his twisted way._

_Virgil cast a smirk at him. This smirk didn’t last for long, however, as Deceit said his next words, “Bring the hammer.”_

_Virgil’s face drained of color, going completely white as he watched in horror as a giant hammer was brought over by one of the snake’s henchmen. The man twirled the hammer around a bit, seeming to test its strength and ability before making his way over to where Virgil lay._

_He cast a quick, demented smirk at Virgil before he raised the hammer and swung it down onto Virgil’s wing. The worst part? It was so close to where his wing began, in the mid of his back. A sharp ripple of pain shot through Virgil, as he cried out. An animalistic scream tore its way from his throat as his eyes clenched tightly in agony._

_The moment lasted for what seemed like forever before Virgil was finally able to regain some of his composure. His back ached with pain, but his wing was so much worse. Shifting it slightly, another wave of hot, white agony tore through him as he struggled to contain a scream. Yep, those were bones crunching together._

_The avian boy’s breathing was heavy as he struggled to deal with the newly dealt pain. This only served to make the asshole above him grin with sick pleasure. “Y-You’re fucking s-sick!” He spat at the man._

_“Don’t worry, pet, this hurts me more than it does you!” Bastard._

_Deceit glanced at the trimmers before his face lit up. As if he had another idea. Virgil was almost relieved, except he was sure whatever idea Deceit thought of, was going to be worse than having his wings clipped._

_“You see, while clipping your wings would be great….” He picked up the trimmers. “I believe I need to take precautionary measures.” He smirked up at Virgil before walking over to where his primary feathers were spread out._

_He once again, took the feathers in his hand and lowered the trimmers to where they held his primary feathers between them. Virgil’s breath hitched in fear._

_Snip!_

_Feather’s fell to the floor._

_Virgil froze in shock, watching as his beautiful feathersell to the filthy ground._

th

_Snip!_

_More feather’s fell._

_Moments passed before, eventually, all his primary feathers had been cut off of him. Through the procedure, Virgil had remained still, watching in horror as a part of him was taken from him and left to rot on the ground._

_Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at the feathers he was no longer a part of._

_He was so out of it that he failed to notice the sound of a saw buzzing. He also failed to notice that Deceit had gone and came back, holding a tool in his hand, raised just above the pinion joint on his right wing. “Time to make sure you can never leave me….”_

_Deceit’s voice snapped Virgil out of his daze, his attention immediately going to the saw placed above his wing, a moment of realization dawned on him before the saw was brought down._

_And though he had only blacked out for what felt like a moment, it was enough time to complete the procedure. His right wing was permanently clipped. He couldn’t grow his primary feathers back._

_A sob tore from his throat as he felt a piece of who he was, be ripped away from him. He was only allowed a moment to grieve before he heard the clang of metal. Looking up, he saw Deceit had once again grabbed the trimmers and was making his way over to Virgil’s left wing._

_Panic shot through Virgil before determination flooded all his other senses. He needed to get out of here. And so, he gathered every ounce of strength he had and tore his way from the binds that restrained him and kept him trapped._

_He flapped his wings as they ruffled, ignoring the sharp pain that tore through his right one. He let out a growl as he hit people with his wing. While they were knocked down, he fled from the room, going into the hall. Scanning the hallway, he found there was a window at the end of the hall. One problem though. He was no longer able to use his right wing at all._

_“GET HIM!” Deceit’s angry voice sounded from behind him and he glanced back to see people chasing after him. Fight or flight instincts kicked in as he pushed himself to run forward towards the window looking out of a steep hill. This was going to end badly…_

_Footsteps sounded behind him as he struggled to run faster. Deciding he was close enough, Virgil pitched himself forward, curling into a ball as he dove through the window. Glass shattered everywhere, slicing part of his skin. Once he felt the air against his skin, he shot his wings out._

_SNAP!_

A gasp left Virgil’s mouth as he jerked up into a sitting position. His eyes scanned his surrounding’s frantically, searching for whatever had made that noise.

His senses were on high alert, which was the only reason he was able to hear the hushed whispers and rustling that came from his right. He jumped up, getting into a fighting stance as he curled his wings tight against his form.

“Who’s there!?” His words rang out through the dense forest. The whispers and shuffling had stopped. Whoever it was, was not planning on getting called out. Footsteps sounded. Not just one pair, but three.

Virgil’s form tensed more as three men stepped out of the foliage. “Whoa, there kiddo! Relax, we’re not here to hurt you.” A man stood there, blue polo shirt with a grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. Glasses adorned his face as well as a bright cheery smile.

To the right of him another guy stood, his uniform was that straight from a fairy tale book. White uniform with a red sash and golden designs. This man stood much like Virgil, prepared to fight at any moment. Still, a gleeful look in his eyes made him seem like less of a threat.

And finally, to the right of the prince guy, stood an apathetic man in a navy blue polo. He, like the first man, donned a pair of glasses. The man stood tall and seemed to be analyzing the situation.

The thing that scared him though?

They all had wings.


	2. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolves.
> 
> Virgil hated them almost as much as snakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom!  
> 'Nother chapter!
> 
> WARNINGS: I don't think there are any in this chapter, but let me know if there are so I can tag them!

Virgil stared with wide eyes at them. He knew there were others like him. He used to live with a flock, but after so many years of being alone, surrounded by only nature and humans…. You tend to get out of practice. Especially after spending time with a crazy psychotic douchebag.

That’s beside the point.

“What the hell?” The dad guy winced and flinched back, whether it was due to the curse word or the implication in his tone, well he didn’t know, nor did he care.

Dad guy waved his hands about frantically as he hurriedly rushed out, “Pleasedon’tfreakout!” Pausing at the phrase he stared at the scene with wide frozen eyes. He took a moment to decipher what the man had said.

Apparently, Virgil was pronounced to the others as a threat, if the fact that Princey looked about ready to just lunge and attack him was anything to go off. Brainiac still did nothing; the only difference was that now he was staring at Virgil.

“Why-” He began to speak, but was cut off by Prince Charming.

“Look we’re not going to hurt you, so if you could just keep your mouth shut about this? We’ll be on our way!” His tone was harsh as he spoke, but the fear in his voice was quote evident. He grabbed Dad guy’s wrist before pulling the other to walk the direction they came.

The two men hurried to the tree line, Brainiac following behind them, most likely leaving to find another safe place if Virgil knew anything about the rest of his kind. The small group was almost hidden inside the cover of the foliage before a low growl rang through the air. Virgil tensed and watched as the other three did as well.

Wolves.

Virgil hated them almost as much as snakes.

Greedy bastards that couldn’t keep their paws off what isn’t theirs. Always trashing the forest and picking fights they knew they couldn’t win. They pissed him off beyond belief.

Crouching low, he prepared for an attack. His feathers puffed out showing that he was the stronger beast. Too bad Wolves don’t know how to take a hint.

A snarl ripped through the growls as a wolf launched itself at Virgil. The fight was on. He performed a roundhouse, causing the wolf to let out a yelp as it went flying, hitting the ground with a thud. Taking a quick survey of his surroundings, Virgil realized that they three men were fighting off their own enemies. At least they weren’t complete imbeciles.

Virgil’s thoughts were cut off as more wolves surrounded him. Some of them managed to get a nip on him or scratch him. Feathers flew through the air as they were torn off. His left wing was used just as much as his fist, slapping the beasts away and successfully injuring them.

The battle was exhilarating! The excitement didn’t last long however, as a yelp was heard. A human one.

Virgil’s head snapped to the side to see Dad guy pinned to the ground by a large grey wolf. Virgil’s instincts kicked in immediately as he pushed himself into the air with his wing and kicked the large dog off of the man. Slipping during the landing, he tumbled slightly before righting himself. Still, this was enough time for the wolves to recognize he was the easiest target as they ganged up on him.

Their growls and snarls surrounded him as he fought to keep them back, his own snarls mixing with theirs. He wasn’t about to let himself lose to a bunch of overgrown mutts! Raising his wings to shield his face, he pushed outwards, knocking the pack of dogs away.

He was tired of this. Standing up, he ruffled his feathers and spread his wings halfway, making sure to keep his right wing mainly hidden.  Whimpers sounded from the wolves, though some still had not gotten the memo of “Fuck off”.

Moments passed as the vile beasts eventually fled the area back to whatever hell they originated from. Virgil let his wings stay like that for a while before sighing and letting them curl up against him again. He let his from slouch as he dropped to the ground, leaning against a nearby tree.

He was allowed a brief moment of reprieve before a loud squeal broke through the tension. “You’re like us!”

Virgil’s head snapped up to stare at the three men he forgot existed. Leaning his head back against the tree, he let a loud groan slip past his lips as he realized he would most likely not be allowed to relax until they decide to leave.

Not only that, but now they knew that he had wings. What if they were working for him? What if the weren’t real wings? What if-

Virgil shook his head, clearing his thoughts before taking a deep breath to compose himself.

“Yeah. I’m like you. Only in the sense that I have two extra appendages.” He was not ready to have this conversation.

“How big are they?” Virgil started. His brows furrowed as he cast a confused look in the direction of Princey. That’s a first. Usually it’s, ‘how did you get them’ or ‘are they real’. Then again, they already know the answer to the second one.

Pursing his lips, Virgil tried to remember how big his wings were, but he never really paid attention. That wasn’t important enough to remember when you lived alone, fighting to survive.

“I… I don’t know” Average I guess?” His voice was hoarse and confused as he spoke. Honestly, he was too tired to be having this conversation.

Letting out a sigh, he glanced at the three men. “Look, I’m really tired right now, so if we can just hold the questions for later and take a moment to recharge, that’d be great.” He didn’t wait for an answer before closing his eyes.

Not that he would be able to sleep in the presence of others, but at least he could rest his mind and body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to write this. I know I've said that already but I'm really just ready to write this fic! I'm also hoping this will help get rid of my writer's block for everything else.  
> Anyways, if you wanna follow me on tumblr: https://regal-rebel.tumblr.com/
> 
> I hope you all have a good day/night!  
> Bye guys!


	3. Freaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strangers to strangers with names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look people! I was productive! :D  
> Also this is a filler chapter.  
> The notes at the end will be explaining some stuff about why I have not been updating, but other than that, they hold no importance, so feel free to ignore them!!!

Turns out he was more exhausted than he anticipated. Virgil slowly regained his senses, the first being his hearing. Voices whispered around him, though his heightened anxiety allowed him to tune into their voices better, making their words echo around him as though they were yelling in an empty room.

His sense of touch was the next thing to be gained back. The feel of grass around him and the rough sensation of bark against his back. He remembered that he had collapsed against a tree before passing out. That explained the pain he felt. Some of it anyways. The rest was most likely due to the fight that occurred just before, which was also the cause of his fatigue.

Sense of smell was third, the smell of smoke wafted around him, coating the air with a thickness that slightly suffocated him. Virgil’s nose scrunched up in response to the smell. He never was a big fan of strong smells. Can’t really blame him though, they usually alerted him to signs of danger.

Danger. Smoke.

Finally, his sight came back to him as his eyes snapped open. He rushed to his feet, his eyes scanning the area frantically, searching for the source of the smoke. His vision was fuzzy as he had just woken up. Still that didn’t deter him from his search as his gaze finally landed on the flames in the middle of his clearing. Surrounding the small bonfire sat three men who were now looking in his direction.

The whispers had stopped, and the only sound was the crackling of the fire as well as the sounds of nature around him. It was then he realized that not only had he fallen asleep, but he had fallen asleep with strangers nearby.

As Virgil’s form relaxed just the slightest amount, he stumbled off balance. Even after all these years, having only one wing clipped threw him off balance. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as when it first happened, he could barely stand up for 10 seconds before tumbling to the side.

“Are you okay!?” Virgil’s gaze snapped to the dad guy, who was now standing up and rushing over to Virgil. Virgil who was breathing heavily and hunched over, trying to reorient himself.

Virgil’s eyes widened in alarm before he threw his body back, into a tree, attempting to distance himself from the stranger. “S-Stay back!” His voice was panicked as he cried out. The man halted his approach and looked at Virgil in alarm.

“Patton. Maybe it would be best if you let our… friend here keep his personal space, personal.” Patton. So, dad guy’s name was Patton. Good to know.

Huffing out a breath, Virgil heaved his frame to his feet, using the tree to support him so he didn’t stumble again. One of these days he would be able to go a day without stumbling or crashing to the ground after a glide.

Actually, that probably would never happen. Not with the way his wings were. Not with one of them being broken. Not with him being broken…

Shaking his head clear of the intrusive dark thoughts, Virgil turned his gaze to the group of men now standing before him. “So. You’re a bunch of freaks. Where the hell did you come from?” His voice was cold and harsh, but he learned a long time ago to keep his kindness to himself.

Princey made an offended noise as he glared at Virgil. “Excuse me, I-” The man’s words were cut off by Virgil himself, who was smirking.

“You’re excused.” He heard an indignant shriek sounded from the man’s throat as he held a hand to his heart in an overdramatic gesture of vexation.

While normally, Virgil would be all too happy to keep his typical laid-back, too-cool-for-you persona up, today had been rough and it was time fore some answers from both sides.

As much as he hated to admit it, these three deserved to at the very least know who he was and where they were. Everything else was off limits.

He let out a sigh before relaxing his form, keeping alert in case another attack was to happen. Just because they were freaks didn’t mean they were on his side. “So? What’s your story? Why are you wandering the woods at night?” His words seemed to strike a chord within the rest of them as they glanced at each other, conveying a silent conversation that Virgil understood none of.

Sighing, Virgil rolled his eyes as he placed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Fine. Let’s start off with priorities. What are your names?” He knew what dad guys name was, but he still had no clue as to what the others’ names were.

Princey glanced at him skeptically before clearing his throat, “My name is Roman. The bubbly man to my right is Patton, and the nerd is Logan. Now that we have introduced ourselves, I believe it is only fair that you share your own name.” He and Princey were not going to get along. Not with the whole, ‘better than you’ attitude he had going on.

Virgil scoffed and bit back a sarcastic remark before speaking, “The name’s Anxiety.” He saw Logan’s brows furrow at his words.

“Anxiety? Why were you named after a mental disease?” His words were spoken with no malice, only asked in genuine curiosity, still, Virgil could feel his lip twitch up as he snarled at the man.

“It’s none of your business!” The other’s eyes widened before a calm look settled onto his face once again. The man cleared his throat, a sheepish look on his face as he adjusted the wrinkled tie around his neck.

“I apologize. It was not my intention to be invasive nor was it my intention to cause offense. I was merely curious.” The apology was strange and overly formal, but it was real. That was the only reason Virgil let himself relax. It was real. Not a lie.

A huff left his lips as he rolled his eyes, his arms crossed as he struggled to calm his own heightened anxiety. “Whatever,” he muttered before turning his gaze towards the tree line, unconsciously avoiding the others’ gazes.

“So, mind telling me why you guys are wandering the woods? I mean this is pretty deep into the foliage.” Not that he would ever admit it, but he was a bit curious. Then again, curiosity killed the cat….

Patton was the first to speak up, “We were… We were searching for something. A place to be exact.” Okay, now he was definitely curious. He raised an eyebrow, prompting the other to elaborate further. “Someone found out about our wings and we were trying to find a new place to live.”

So, they were threatened. Virgil could relate to that.

Sighing, Virgil closed his eyes as he internally fought with himself. He really shouldn’t trust them. Trust never led him to anything good, only pain and betrayal. Still, there was something that led him to believe these three people in front of him could be trusted. That they were  _safe_.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the three and let out a groan as he slouched, dropping his arms to his side. “Ugh, I guess, you could like stay here with me. If you want…”

Silence enveloped the four of them as he waited in tense silence. The tension didn’t last long however, as a squeal cut through the thick atmosphere like a knife. Virgil jumped, ready to fight anything that may come his way. Birds flew from the trees flying away from the sound, just as Virgil would have done had he been able to, you know, fly.

“Thank you so much, kiddo!” Suddenly, arms hugged his frame causing him to panic slightly as he struggled to get free from the grasp of the other man.

Upon breaking free, he backed away quickly and said, “Whoa! Okay, first rule: No hugging me. I-I don’t do affection. Or physical contact.”

A pout formed on the other’s lips, but he nodded in understanding.

This was going to be difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Like I said this is basically just an explanation that I feel is due.  
> Lately things have gotten a lot more difficult. I figured when summer came and school was out, I would be able to update more. Unfortunately that is not the case. A lot of bad things have happened recently. And I feel absolutely horrible that they have caused me to neglect this fic and all my others. However, I don't think it is any more fair for me to write things that will be only 10% of what I could be creating.  
> One of the things I am currently dealing with is my grandmother having cancer. We recently discovered she has a mass in her breast that was supposed to be removed, however they then discover a lymph node in her lungs, which is cancerous and is causing complications with the surgeries she had planned. On top of that my mother has been having trouble breathing and since cancer has the tendency to run in our family...  
> When bad things start to happen I tend to dissociate. I constantly get confused as to where I am, when I am and who I am. I have trouble concentrating and it's just really troublesome. It also makes my depression and anxiety kick up, which is not helpful at all.  
> Anyways, there are more things, but those are just the major things that have been keeping me from updating. Now, I don't wish or pity or sympathy, all I ask is that you all are patient with me. I promise that eventually this will all pass and I will be back to at least a semi-steady update schedule. Until then, this fic and any multiple chapter fics I have will most likely be held on a hiatus. I can do some drabbles and one-shots since those don't take too much planning.  
> If you made it this far, I apologize you had to read that. Or if you skipped it, then lucky you!!!  
> I love you all and I will see you when the drama settles down.  
> Have a good day/night!  
> <3


	4. Liar, Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deceit had said it was game over. He always lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty happy with this chapter.

“It’s disgusting! The trees are constantly producing this sticky substance-” Roman was off on another tangent about the forest. Go figure. Virgil’s jaw clenched as he grit his teeth, attempting to remain civil with the company he had.  
“It’s called sap. Perhaps if you had concentrated your excessive amount of ebullient behavior on studying, you would be more knowledgeable about such information.”  
Silence...  
Virgil let out a sigh of relief, finally gaining a moment of reprieve from the constant stress that is Princey.  
Suddenly the indignant squawking of the man started up again, only ten times worse than before. This time, however, Logan had joined in, presumably entirely fed up with the other man.  
Virgil’s head began to pound, alerting him to an oncoming panic attack. He was starting to wish he had killed them. Or himself. Either one worked.   
The emo man tried to block out the noise, pulling his hood over his head and curling up into a fetal position. Still, the thin fabric did nothing to drown out the bickering going on just feet away. Honestly, he was entirely done with their bullshit. Patton was the only one that had basic human decency. Having wings did not excuse their lack of humanity.   
Virgil pushed himself to his feet, noting that Patton smiled in his direction, a silent apology in his eyes as he stood, trying to soothe the arguing pair.  
Virgil took a deep breath before yelling at the two to shut up. His voice was deep and had a growl to it as it echoed through the trees.   
The three men in front of him froze, all staring at him with wide-eyes. His shoulders sagged in relief at the silence that now hung in the air. It was tense, but soothing after the loud yelling that occurred minutes before.  
Closing his eyes, Virgil bathed in the sound of birds chirping and leaves swaying.   
Then it all stopped.  
The air became still as a sour taste filled Virgil’s mouth. The birds were silent and none of the forest moved an inch. It was eerie. It was wrong.  
Suddenly, a raspy chuckle echoed through the area, causing Virgil’s eyes to snap open. He looked at the other for confirmation, assuring himself, he was awake and not insane. Their eyes were wide with terror as they gazed around the small area.   
Virgil felt his entire being go cold as he heard a tune, whistle through the trees. A very familiar tune that would haunt him forever.  
His eyes quickly scanned the tree line before he maneuvered his way over to the other three mutants. “Okay, I need you to listen to me.” Virgil notice Roman open his mouth to speak, but as he stared into Virgil’s eyes, it became apparent how dire the situation was.  
Virgil’s senses heightened as he laid out a quick plan of escape. A route that he had learned years ago in case of emergency. There was only one problem…  
“Virgil~” A voice sang out from behind Virgil, prompting the four into action. They all quickly dashed through the tree line, making their way through the forest. Virgil was leading them with Roman following quickly behind. Logan was at the back only a few feet away from Patton.   
Tree branches hung low, slapping each of them in the face. The stumbled over rocks and fallen branches but kept going. Not caring about the wounds they would receive.  
None of them knew about him. They didn’t know about the experiments. About the torture. Virgil did though. He knew that whatever wounds they received while running would be nothing compared to what they would receive if they were caught.  
So they ran, eventually breaking through the foliage and coming up to a cliff that dropped off into a deep ravine.   
Virgil began to slow down, taking his place at the back of the group as he watched the others snap their wings out.   
Roman’s wings gleaned beautifully in the lighting. They were white and tapered off into a deep mahogany. There were flecks of brown scattered around the base of his wing.  He took off into the air, his wings strong as the pushed him high in the sky, very similar to that of a hawk’s   
Patton was next, his wings a soft pastel blue color, and much like Roman, had brown spots speckling his wings, though his spread across the entire wing rather than just near the base. They were simple but breathtaking. His wings seemed to puff out slightly as he took off, and Virgil recalled that his wings reminded him of a dove’s wings.    
Logan was the last of the three. His wings were akin to that of a raven’s, only differing in color. They were a deep gray that looked almost blue that became black at the tips where his primary and secondary feathers were. Logan, Virgil noticed, was the only one of the three to not carry a speckled pattern on any part of his wing. Soon, Logan’s wings launched him off the cliff and into the sky.   
Virgil clenched his fists and cautiously spread his wings out, immediately taking notice of the shift in weight. His eyes scanned the air before falling to the ravine below. If he didn’t manage to catch air, then he would no doubt fall.

* * *

The three mutants were flying through the air, not knowing what or who exactly they were running from, simply relying on Anxiety’s words. Roman glanced back to find that only Logan and Patton were behind him. He quickly stopped and turned to see that Anxiety was still perched on the cliff, wings spread. Growling, he yelled out, “Anxiety! What are you doing!?”   
The other two stop flying at his words and turn to find their new friend still grounded. It doesn’t take long before Patton is joining in on trying to encourage their friend into flight. However, Logan stays silent as he scans the mutant. It takes mere seconds to deduce the problem and immediately his eyes widen as he mutters a few words.  
Patton glanced at his friend, “What was that, Lo?”  
Logan turned to look at Patton, shock in his gaze as he said, “He can’t.” With that, it was as if it finally hit him, how dire the situation was.  
“What-” Roman had opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Logan.  
“He can’t fly! Look at his right wing!” He said. Patton and Roman turned their gazes to the mysterious mutant and found that his right wing was indeed different. To be more specific, the primary feathers were missing.  
He wasn’t able to fly. 

* * *

A loud chuckle echoes right behind Virgil, causing the anxious mutant to turn around, coming face to face with his own nightmare.  
“Ah, Virgil. How nice of you to lead me straight to more pets!” A whimper cuts through the air as Virgil backs away, rocks crumbling as he creeps closer to the edge of the cliff. Deceit continues to talk as he makes his way towards Virgil, but the mutant isn’t listening. He couldn’t. Not over the pounding of his heart and racing thoughts in his mind. It was impossible.  
Instead, he back up, feeling his foot slip off the edge before he managed to right himself again. Glancing behind him, he found that he was out of land. That’s when his heart stops. Because Deceit’s moving forward while Virgil’s stagnant.  
A sudden boom of thunder echoes off in the distance, startling Virgil, and allowing his thoughts to freeze for a single moment.   
“Game over, Vee.”  
They were standing mere feet apart by this time. Virgil looked up at the sky towards the group of mutants that he’s somehow grown attached to, before looking at his right wing. Letting out a sigh, Virgil pastes a smirk on his face as he stares back at Deceit with a facade of smugness.   
With one last glance below him, Virgil gave a salute to his abuser and let himself fall backward off the edge of the cliff.   
His feathers ruffled as his heart raced with fear.  
Closing his eyes, Virgil took a deep breath, silence surrounding him despite the several screams above him. Ones of anger, while others of anguish and fear.   
Deceit had said it was game over.  
_He always lied._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try and focus a bit more on my other two stories on here. I've got 4 chapters of Flightless planned out, so please just be patient with me. Things have started to calm down a bit, but I'm still only human, sadly.  
> As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, kudos and comments are appreciated.  
> Stay royal!


	5. Humans Vs. Bird-Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling to your death was one thing, but getting discovered by humans was a death wish. Unless one of them has a soft spot for bird-kids who hiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been less than a month! Just barely, but still less than a month, therefore it is cause for celebration! Also, there are some new characters added in this chapter!  
> A few mentions of blood, gore, dehumanization, and swearing. They're minor but be safe!

Panic flared through his body as the wind rushed past him. Every piece of media describes falling as painfully slow, saying that everything seems to go in slow motion, but if you asked Virgil, he’d tell you it was too fast. Like a race against time as the world flew by him two opposing forces going against each other, only making the fall seem faster.

He managed to turn his body over so that he was now facing his impending doom. His wings flared out, flapping in a panic, trying to catch even the slightest bit of air. Maybe he couldn’t fly but if he could just gain control of his mind and limbs for a second, maybe he could use his wings as a parachute. Perhaps they could catch enough air to stop him from splattering against the ground and becoming akin to that of a fly on the wall.

A sharp tug in his left wing left him gasping as it caught air and jerked him around, changing the direction of his fall. It wasn’t enough however as his right wing continued to be completely useless as it had been for years now.

Suddenly he couldn’t breathe as a large splash echoed through the ravine. His wings became weights as he struggled to move. It was only after he took a large breath that he realized what had happened.

Rather than splattering against the ground in a mess of blood, guts, and feathers, he crashed into the water which acted as a cushion, breaking his fall, but also made it so that rather than dying quickly after the fall, he would drown, slowly losing his breath and being consumed by darkness.

His vision was darkening he knew he was running out of time as his limbs failed to react as he wished them to. Instead, he remembered about the many things he had been taught about birds as a species. More specifically birds that were flightless by nature.

His last thought as he drifted into unconsciousness was to wonder why he hadn’t been more like a penguin.

* * *

“I’m telling you, there’s not going to be any bats around here.” The rational one of the duo spoke, sighing as their partner shushed them before continuing on their adventure. “Talyn, we’ve been at this for six hours now!”

A groan left their lips as they turned to face their partner. “Joan. Cute little puppy bat fly fly baby dogs. Need I say more?” With that, they turned around and continued to make their way through the deep ravine, searching for caves that might hold the cute creatures of the night.

Joan huffed before following their determined partner. The two continued to walk next to the river, the water seeming to get deeper the farther they got.

Suddenly, Joan stopped, tugging on Talyn’s arm to get their attention and to stop them from moving forward. “Do you see that?” Talyn’s head jerked up from the map as they looked to Joan before turning to look at what they were pointing to.

A gasp left their lips as they surged forward toward the lump of mud and what looked to be feathers. “Aw, the poor thing, I think it’s a bird?” They rushed to crouch beside it and noticed the mass still breathing as parts of it rose and fell in a pattern. There was also the faint sound of stutter wheezing.

Joan crept forward cautiously, not yet trusting the huge mass of mud and feathers. “Tal, that’s way too big to be a bird.” They soon moved to crouch next to them and noticed the wheezing breaths. “Whatever it is, it looks like it got caught up in the river and washed up here. Based on it’s breathing, I wouldn’t doubt if it was injured or nearly drowned. Maybe both.”

A whine left Talyn’s lips as they started swiping mud from the figure, hoping that it would help it and maybe help them discover what exactly ‘it’ was. Joan was slightly more hesitant to touch the figure but soon moved to help them remove the mud and whatever else coated the mass.

It wasn’t long before a gasp left Talyn’s lips as they sped up their movements, rushing to remove the mud. Joan looked over to see what caused their change in nature and felt their breath stop at the sight they saw.

A face. A human face that was covered with mud and held cuts and bruises on it. On top was a pile of hair, dark brown by the looks of it but was possibly being hidden by the mud.

It wasn’t long before the duo removed most of the dirt and sat back to gaze at what exactly the figure was.

“It’s a human, but… there’s obviously wings?” Joan was struggling to gain control of his thoughts which raced with panic and absurd thoughts. “Maybe their laying on top of a bird?” They turned their gaze to their green-haired partner with a hopeful smile which soon fell upon seeing their face.

“I don’t think so. Do you see the size of the wings? The wingspan is larger than that of an average Albatross, but the wing style is not akin to that of an Albatross.” Talyn reached a hand to brush through the feathers only to pull back as a groan left the being’s lips. “We should take it home.” Joan felt a laugh slip past his lips at the thought.

“Tal, we have no idea who or even what this thing is!” Their voice was indignant as they spoke, their frame tense at the thought of taking in an unknown creature that may be dangerous.

“This thing was covered and mud and most likely nearly drowned! It could be hurt, Joan!” The two stared at each other in silence, waiting for the other to give in. In the end, Talyn won out as Joan groaned and conceded to helping carry the creature to their car.

Huffing a sigh they looked at their partner and scowled. “Bats, huh?” Talyn grinned at them in response before getting into the car, Joan doing the same before starting the car and beginning the drive home with a strange bird-kid in their backseat. They were just grateful that whatever it was, it was asleep. Or passed out, either way, it wasn’t awake and causing them trouble.

Too bad karma’s a bitch.

Just as the trio arrived at the house, shuffling from the backseat was heard causing the two humans to freeze before glancing at the rearview mirror to see that the creature was moving around, most likely on the verge of waking up.

“We better hurry.” With that, the human duo got out of the car and rushed to bring the feathered human inside, struggling as it moved and squirmed in their grasps.

Once inside, Joan dragged it to the couch before fighting the heavy weighted creature to put its body on the couch, meanwhile, Talyn locked the door before moving to help them.

Unfortunately, the thing woke up before they could finish adjusting its body. A terrified scream echoed through the house as feathers flew about, its wings flailing every which way, crashing into lamps and knocking pictures off the walls. Talyn and Joan stood to the side, wide-eyed as the creature crashed into walls and tripped over its own feet before eventually gluing its back to the wall farthest from the humans. It glared at them but the fear in its eyes was easy to see.

“Hey, it’s okay! We’re not gonna hurt you!” Talyn took a step towards the panicked creature, their voice soft and calm as they tried to reassure it. A hiss left its lips as it snarled at the green-haired human.

They froze, staring at the flighty creature in awe. “That was cute as fuck.” Joan stared at their partner in stunned silence while the creature’s face flushed before it hissed at them once again.

“Talyn, maybe you shouldn’t approach the weird bird-human that hisses at you?” Joa glanced between the two in concern. What if it was dangerous?

Talyn took another few steps toward the creature, their hands up in surrender as they approached it, cooing reassuring words so as not to frighten the strange being. Unfortunately, the creature seemed paranoid as it swiped at the approaching human. Talyn barely dodged the hand with a yelp, tripping over their own feet and falling back on their butt with a slight pout.

Joan surged forward to stand between the bird-kid and their partner, one hand held out in front of them as a warning for the creature to stay back. What Joan did not count on was that the bird-like being would act more like a feral cat as it hissed once more before biting the human’s fingers, pulling away quickly before making a dash for another room. Unfortunately, it was a windowless room that held nothing but a desk and several other items that Virgil had never seen before.

Footsteps sounded from behind him causing him to startle as his wings began flailing once again. Once again it hurried to escape into another room, only to fall forward as he collided with something. His eyes snapped open to meet with that of another’s. Or someone.

A hiss left his mouth as his lips turned up into a snarl, only to let out a yelp as a cold splash hit his face. A growl sounded in his throat as he looked up and was met face to face with a frankly terrifying individual with a spray bottle in hand, pointed at him.

Another splash hit him causing him to roll off the human and glare at the one wielding a spray bottle. Once again, he let a hiss rip from his mouth and just like before he was sprayed with cold water.

Deciding enough was enough, Virgil made his way past the green-haired human and up the stairs, dashing into a random room and locking the door before glancing around. A groan left his lips as he crept into the bathtub where his wings curled around him as he glared at the door.

Stupid humans and their windowless rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Joan and Talyn are now a part of the action. There was also a lot of comedic relief in this chapter. I'm laying off the angst for once, so savor it while you can because according to plans (As if I ever stick to the plan) lots of pain and suffering will be dealt later on. Also, Joan and Talyn are gonna be the only relationship for a while.  
> Anyways, hope you all are having a good day/night!


	6. Mutant in the Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you put a mutant bird-kid and two anxious enby's in a house together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough* It's been a month *cough*  
> One of these days I will update more often, today is not that day!  
> Still, have a mostly light-hearted chapter with a bit of Joan-angst at the end.

It had been three days since Joan and Talyn’s lives were turned upside down. Mainly because the mutant in their bathroom refused to leave the confined space, and that was the only room in the house. There was also the fact that whatever it was, it had wings and was not entirely human.

Talyn had woken up early and immediately went downstairs, already knowing that asking the mutant in the bathroom to leave so they could shower and brush their teeth would be redundant. Instead, they went about making their morning breakfast, which so happened to be a salad. Mainly because they were too tired to make anything else.

However, it seemed that fate had other plans, seeing as just as they had sat down, ready to dig into their salad, a heavy thud had sounded from upstairs followed by a string of curse words. More than likely from their partner.

Letting out a sigh, Talyn stood up once more, glancing forlornly at their salad, before making their way upstairs to find an amusing sight.

Joan was glaring at the bathroom door while rubbing his nose which was now red. They let out a snicker, attracting their partner's attention, which only served to earn them a glare in return.

“Morning sunshine.” They teased.

Joan huffed before turning back to the bathroom door that held it’s stance as a locked door holding behind it a series of treasures, such as two toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and body wash. There was also the mutant bird-kid that seemed to adopt the room as it’s permanent home.

“It’s still in there! Talyn, there is a _thing_ living in our bathroom. Our _bathroom_!” They spoke indignantly. Talyn couldn’t help but laugh at their partner’s face.

“Well, if you’re so upset about it, why not ask him to leave?” They grinned before making their way back down the stairs. A series of cursing followed their leave as well as what was most likely Joan pounding on the door.

It’s not that they weren’t upset over the fact that they had not been able to use their own bathroom in three days and had to constantly go over to their neighbors with the excuse of bad plumbing, but seeing Joan’s face during the mornings was more than worth it.

Talyn had already begun digging into their salad once more before a scream from upstairs halted their breakfast. A few thuds later and a blur came tumbling down the stairs. For a moment their heart sank with fear, thinking it had been Joan that had fallen down the stairs, but then Joan had quickly rushed down the stairs, staring at the mass now at the bottom of the stairs.

They stood up quickly causing their chair to clatter to the ground, effectively startling the mutant. Wide brown eyes turned to them before the figure scrambled to their feet, their limbs settling into a fighting position. The three of them stayed in that position before Talyn picked up on the mutant’s behaviors. They had already figured out that who or whatever this was, they were skittish and absolutely terrified of both of them. Now, focusing more on how they act, Talyn noticed that their breathing was erratic and their eyes scanned the area frantically. Their libs were tense and held a slight tremble as the figure stood, slightly crouched in front of them.

They were having a panic attack.

Talyn’s eyes softened as they slowly took long strides, approaching the mutant with their hands up in a gesture of surrender and peace. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” As they spoke, the figure seemed to only tense more, and they were faintly aware of Joan looking at them with a cautious gaze from the top of the stairs.

“Tal…” They warned. They nodded towards the partner before shifting their focus back to the being in front of them.

“My name’s Talyn. The nerd up there is Joan. We found you passed out on the side of a ravine, covered in mud. I promise you, I mean no harm, neither of us do. We just wanted to help.” They spoke calmly, trying to reassure the frightened mutant in front of them.

The strange being opened its mouth as though it were about to speak, unfortunately, Talyn’s hopes of a civilized conversation were halted as a hiss tore past the creature’s lips. While a hiss was not exactly the response they were hoping for, they did notice that the creature’s frame had become laxer, and their breathing had slowed down.

Good.

The three stood like that for a while, each waiting for another to make the first move. It was only when a growl echoed through the room that any movements were made besides shuffles and twitching.

Talyn watched with amusement as the creature in front of them turned a bright red and reached up to pull their hood over their head.

Shaking their head with a sigh, they motioned to the kitchen where their breakfast salad still sat on the table. “Breakfast?”

A glare was sent their way earning the creature an exasperated sigh as Talyn looked at them with a “Really?” face. “Look, I’m not gonna force you, but you’re a literal walking stick with feathers and I don’t exactly want you to die while in my care.” The two stood there, staring each other down for a minute before the being ducked their head and began shuffling towards the kitchen.

A triumphant smile lit up their face as they made another salad for the strange being.

Talyn watches from the corner of their eye as the mutant makes their way into the kitchen standing in the corner. Joan soon enters the kitchen hesitantly, glancing at the sulking creature before moving to fry up a couple eggs.

It didn’t take much time before the three sat at the table, Joan and Talyn already readily digging into their foods, however, the mutant sat still, glancing between the food in front of them and the humans. It was only after both of them had eaten half of their own breakfasts that the mutant began to cautiously nibble at the food on their own.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the mutant had taken to glaring at Joan, and Talyn couldn’t help but laugh at their partner’s tense expression every time the mutant glanced their way. They didn’t know why exactly Joan was the object of their glare, but they had a suspicion it had to do with what they were eating for breakfast…

That day had been the beginning. The first day of gaining the mutant’s, who they soon discovered was named Virgil, trust. They had all exchanged names and pronouns, though Virgil was a bit hesitant.

Now almost a week later the group of three had come to trust each other a little more. Virgil had discovered the wonders of everyday living with the two humans. In turn, Talyn had gained what they commonly referred to as their “Precious birb-child”.

While Talyn and Virgil were able to come to an understanding of one each other, Joan was having a few more difficulties. They didn’t know what they did, but Virgil was far less trusting when it came to them. That became apparent three days later.

The day had been spent the same as always, but something in Virgil snapped as he was thrown into a panic attack. Neither Joan nor Talyn were sure what to do, and so they both watched in sadness before Talyn slowly approached Virgil. They practiced breathing exercises and worked on calming down before Talyn was able to convince Virgil to move to the couch where the two settled while Joan watched. They didn’t know what to do. They didn’t exactly get along with Virgil before and didn’t want to make matters worse.

The next morning Joan had woken up to the sight of Talyn asleep on the couch, Virgil’s head lay in their lap, their fingers tangled in the mutant’s hair. They must have fallen asleep like that.

From that point on, it became apparent that Virgil did not like Joan. At all.

When Talyn had left to go shopping, Virgil had glared at them the entire time, hissing whenever Joan dared to get to close to his spot.

Joan was honestly a bit jealous. Of who, they didn’t know. Perhaps they were jealous of the attention Virgil was receiving from their partner. Not that Virgil was being unfair, he was in a new environment and was terrified. But Joan still missed their partner.

There was also the possibility that Joan was jealous of Talyn. They had hit it off right away with Virgil. The two fit together like two peas in a pod. Yet no matter how hard Joan tried, no matter what they did, Virgil wanted nothing to do with them. They would go so far as to say Virgil may have even hated them.

And they didn’t know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the next chapters will be pretty light-hearted. Of course, there are a few hella angsty ones, but we're gonna be seeing a lot of Joan and Talyn from now on. And Thomas.  
> Anyways I love yall, and I hope your week has been better than mine!  
> <3


	7. Of Cities and Spotlights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All they had wanted was to find their new friend, instead, they were stranded in the city in the middle of someone’s backyard with a light freezing them in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look who took less than a month!  
> Hope you guys enjoy!

The scene replayed in Patton’s mind over and over again. Constantly reminding him of all the details of that single moment in time as Anxiety’s arms spread wide, his body leaning backward as his feet left the ground. The world going in slow motion as he screamed and cried out for his new friend.   
  
He had wanted to dive down, to try and catch the man who couldn’t fly, but he was held back by Roman whose face held anger. Roman had forced Patton to think, to remember what-who had caused Anxiety to fall off the cliff in the first place. Logan had begun to fly away. After all, none of them knew what the psycho man was capable of, and the three weren’t all that eager to stay and find out.   
  
Now they were roaming around the area they had seen Anxiety fall. They had decided to check the area below the cliff’s edge where he once stood, first, in case he had taken a direct fall. After searching the area though, they had discovered that he was not around this area, meaning he either didn’t land here, or something found him before they did.   
  
Patton was hoping that maybe a miracle had happened and Anxiety was able to fly away before crashing to the ground. However, he didn’t need Logan to remind him that it was a highly illogical outcome. At this point, Patton just wanted him to be okay.   
  
“Guys!” Roman’s voice had cried out from his right, and for a moment, Patton was sure he had found him. However, his hopes were crushed to bits as soon as he arrived and saw Roman prepping for take off.   
  
Footsteps sounded from behind him and he glanced back to see Logan calmly approaching them. “What is it?”   
  
Roman motion for them to be quiet. In the distance, voices could be heard as well as what sounded like a car door. A few moments later the sound of an engine started.   
  
“We should follow it.” Logan stared at Roman with a poker face, almost as though he was still processing what Roman had just said.   
  
The sound of an engine began to dull as both Patton and Roman stared at Logan in anticipation. “No.” Roman let out an indignant squawk before stumbling over his words.   
  
“Why not!?” He shrieked, annoyance clear on his face.   
  
“Are you really that dense? If we were to follow that car, we would most definitely be seen.” Logan’s voice was tired and clipped as he spoke, never rising in volume, but the vexation was clear in his tone.   
  
“We should go.” All eyes turned to stare at him as he spoke up. “Whoever is in that car may have Anxiety. We can’t just leave him to fend for his own. Not when we don’t know who or what has him.” He spoke, determined to save his friend.   
  
Logan’s face scrunched up, “If they have him. Patton, there’s no way of knowing if they have Anxiety!”   
  
“Well, what if they do!?” Patton’s eyes brimmed with tears as he retaliated. “Logan if we don’t follow them now, we may never be able to find them again!”   
  
Logan had opened his mouth, about to make a rebuttal but stopped. His face scrunched in annoyance before a sigh of defeat left him. “Alright.”   
  
That was all the approval they needed before Roman took off, leaping into the air, followed by Patton and then Logan. Each snapped their wings out as the soared above the ground, dirt, and rocks flying as they beat their wings up and down to catch air.   
  
It didn’t take long for them to catch up with the vehicle, and they made sure to stay a good distance away as it ascended up the mountain, heading towards the city. It was only when Logan yelled at them to stop that they realized their mistake.   
  
They were reaching the city boundary. People. Lots of people. Meaning they couldn’t fly, and in turn couldn’t follow the car. “We need to land now before someone spots us!” Logan called from behind them. They quickly took cover behind a grouping of trees and shrubs, hiding their wings under their extras clothes before taking off in the direction of the city.   
  
It took much longer to travel by feet, Patton always forgot that. By the time they reached the road, the car was long gone and out of sight. The sky was darkening and the had nowhere to stay. “We should start moving. I don’t like the idea of being out in the open in a place like this.”   
  
So they began to travel. The sky continued to darken until the only light left was from the moon and the street lamps on the sidewalks. They were few people on the streets, but that thought did not put Patton’s mind to rest as many of them cast glares their way.   
  
The three of them had lived in a city before, in fact, most of their childhood was spent within city walls. It was only a year ago that they had needed to flee from their home, running from the people who no longer wanted them in the area. To everyone else, they were freaks. To everyone else, they had lost their rights as humans. To everyone else, they were nothing more than mistakes and objects to toy with.   
  
That’s when they met Anxiety. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily on good terms, and they definitely weren’t by any means close, but Anxiety had helped them when they needed it. He knew more about the outside world than they did. No matter what Roman or Logan said, they needed him. And Patton just wanted to make a new friend.   
  
Suddenly a loud growl rang out amongst the empty streets, effectively halting the group in their tracks. Patton glanced to the side, his gaze clashing with that of a feral dog roaming the streets. His breath caught in his throat and he could feel his legs tremble with fear. Last time they had an encounter with dogs, he had almost been killed.   
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roman and Logan crouch, readying themselves for a chase, only this time they were the prey. “Run.”   
  
That was all it took before the three men darted forward, their fleeting slamming down onto the ground repeatedly, propelling them away from the dog. Patton could feel the wind hitting his face as he took deep breaths, trying not to panic and keep a focused mind while running away from certain death.   
  
Vicious snarls echoed behind them and the sound of claws scraping against the cement and asphalt rung in his ears. The dogs were giving chase, now it was just a matter of who was faster.   
  
“This way!” Roman shouted before taking a leap over a small fence, his feet slamming back down to the earth as he began running once again. Logan and Patton followed in his footsteps, leaping over the fence before continuing their repeated movements, trying to escape the beasts behind them.   
  
Sadly, the fence was short enough that the dogs were able to jump over just as easily as they had. When Patton glanced behind him for no more than a second, he saw that there were more dogs. They had run from one and now they were being chased by more than 8.   
  
A whimper left his mouth as he turned back to face the front. He watched as Roman took a turn and followed him, they were losing distance between the dogs, and they were running low on energy. Not only that but they had left the inner part of the city where most of the shops we located, now they were in the neighborhood where houses were right next to each other.   
  
He felt bad, the pack of snarling dogs wasn’t exactly quiet and it was the dead of night. He couldn’t imagine most people would sleep through the sounds.   
  
Roman shouted something unintelligible from beside him before he leaped forward, his wings instinctively pulsing at the fabric confining them, and pulled himself up and over a large wooden fence. Patton grinned with relief before doing the same. A sharp pain stung his hands as he grabbed hold of the fence, but he ignored it. Getting torn apart by dogs was a much worse fate than a few splinters.   
  
Logan was the last to make it over before the dogs began barking and scratching at the wood on the other side of the fence. Roman’s face lit up as he let out a laugh. “Woo! That was a hell of a chase!”   
  
Patton grinned and hugged the other man before freezing as lights suddenly lit the area around them. He squinted and looked up, his gaze connecting with that of another man’s.   
  
The man looked disheveled and tired, and Patton assumed that he had been asleep only minutes before.   
  
“This isn’t a dream, is it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now we have another new character! Any guesses as to who he is?  
> Remember, I love you all, and I will see you in the next chapter!  
> Bye guys <3


	8. Chapter 8 (For lack of a more creative title)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas gains some new housemates!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter...

Logan wasn’t entirely sure how they had ended up here. One minute they were running into a forest to escape humans, the next they were running into the city and into a human’s backyard. Somehow, the three of them had ended up sitting on a couch with a very disheveled human pacing the floor in front of them.

Roman had been glaring at the human since they entered the house, Patton, on the other hand, was looking at him with sad eyes, as though he felt sympathy for the human. It wasn’t far-fetched for him, Patton most likely felt upset over the idea that he had awoken this human from his slumber.

Logan, however, held no feelings for this human. He did not care whether the human had been woken by them or not. Nor did he hold feelings of resentment for the being in front of him. He was human, sure, but so far he had not proven himself to be good or bad. He simply was.

“So…” Snapping out of his trance, Logan focused back on the human in front of him that had stopped pacing and instead stood, slouched over looking at them. “Why were the three of you in my backyard?”

“Well you see kiddo, we were being chased by some dogs and due to our jackets and being in the city we couldn’t simply use our wings a-” Roman suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth as Logan cast a glare his way.

“Patton!” He hissed, before looking over towards the man in front of them, hoping that maybe he had ignored Patton’s slip up.

“Wings?” It was official, any good luck they ever had was gone. “Like… Costume wings?” He asked. Logan wasn’t sure, but he thought he detected a hint of hopefulness in his tone. As if he was hoping the answers to his question was simplistic.

Logan and Roman let out a collective sigh of relief. Thank god humans were such dense creatures. Just then, Thomas’ eyes widened with shock. “Oh my goodness! You mean you actually have-!” He was cut off by a glare from Logan and a groan from Roman.

“Oops…” Patton spoke up, his mouth having been released from Roman’s grip. Logan turned his glare over to the guilty mutant and sighed in irritation.

Roman glared at Thomas, his eyes focusing on every inch of movement he made, not willing to risk an attack. As Thomas shifted uneasily, Logan scanned the room for possible exits, knowing they may very well have to make a run for it.

“I won’t hurt you guys.” All eyes snapped towards the human who blushed at the attention. “I get that you’re like, not normal, no offense, but I won’t tell anyone!” His words came out rushed, but even Logan felt himself relax at the human's words.

“Thanks, kiddo!” Suddenly, Patton was up and launching himself towards the human who stared at Logan and Roman with a confused expression. The two shook their heads.

“He’s got a lot of love to share.” It was true. Years of running away from everyone in fear of being discovered left the three of them damaged. Logan had become adverse to any kind of emotions toward other beings. Roman had made up fairytales and acquired a talent for acting to make up for his lack of a social life. Patton never changed, he had held empathy for others, wanting to share love every chance he got because he was never able to before. The three of them were damaged and the only thing that kept them from becoming touch starved was the fact that they had each other.

Logan was yanked aside by Roman who stared at him with a furious expressive n on his face. “We’re not really gonna trust this guy, right?”

Sighing, he pushed his glasses up on his nose, before meeting Roman’s scowl with a calm gaze. “Trust? No, absolutely not. However, I do believe staying here, for the time being, would prove beneficial to us. Till we can find Anxiety that is.”

The two mutants stared at each other, both gazes penetrating the other, slipping through the cracks in their defenses. Finally, Roman let out a sigh as his gaze fell to the floor in defeat. “Fine.”

Logan let a small smile spread across his face as he said, “Excellent” before it dropped and his expression was once again stoic.

The two turned back to find Patton still holding The human hostage in a tight embrace as he watched them. Upon seeing Roman’s face of defeat he let out a squeal, “We’re staying?”

Logan winced with sympathy as Thomas jumped at the scream that came from right beside him. “Yes, but only until we can find him,” Logan answered, trying not to give any hints of who they were looking for or why they were looking for him.

“Oh, you mean Anxiety?” Logan let out a groan.

“Patton…” Said man rubbed his neck sheepishly before grinning.

“Is he your friend?” Thomas’ voice was soft as he asked, a sympathetic look on his face. Logan pursed his lips before giving a curt nod in reply.

“I suppose that would be a sufficient term for him. Though, we have not known him for as long as we have known each other.” He said, glancing to Roman and Patton for agreement.

“Well then, don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll show up sooner or later! I know this place pretty well, so maybe I can help you?” His voice was meek and unsure as he spoke and his face slowly losing its happiness. The moment passed quickly as Patton once again embraced the human in his arms tightly, all the while thanking him repeatedly.

It had not been long after that Thomas had nodded off on the couch where he now lay curled up against the armrest. Patton had taken a nearby blanket and placed it over top of the man’s body, tears welling in his eyes as the man gave a content hum and snuggled deeper into the couch.

After that, the three mutants sat there, none of them knowing what to say or do in their current situation. The day had been chaotic and none of them were really willing to let their guard slip in such a new environment. So they did nothing.  
“I miss this…” Roman whispered, his voice soft yet so loud as it echoed amongst the silence engulfed around the house. Logan turned to look at his friend and noticed Patton nod out of the corner of his eyes.

Letting out a sigh, Logan grimaced as he nodded in agreement. It had been a few years since they had been able to live in a nice house, and even longer since they were able to have a decent conversation with anyone outside their group.

Logan shook his head before standing up and moving over to where Roman and Patton sat, leaning against each other. “We should get some rest before the sun rises.” Two heads nodded in agreement before the three mutants pressed tightly against one another and closed their eyes. Tomorrow was another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys were right, it was Thomas! Though a few people did think it was Remy, and I can assure you that Remy is indeed a future character. I'm just not exactly sure which chapter he's going to show up in...  
> Don't forget, I love you all and I hope you have a good day/night!  
> Bye guys <3

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited about this story. Like I am practically vibrating with excitement.  
> I really hope I can due the idea justice.  
> Also, I have finally decided to put my Tumblr account to use, so if you want to: https://regal-rebel.tumblr.com/  
> Boom. Excitement.
> 
> As always Kudos and Comments are appreciated.  
> I hope you all have an amazing day/night!  
> Bye guys!


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